Tejas Foco 2015 News
TejasFoco Highlight: Teaching M.A.S.: How to Implement Mexican-American Studies in Your High School
by Tony Diaz on 01/25/15
Lone Star College-North Harris
Friday, Feb. 27, 2015,
Session II: 10:30 am – 11:45 am
ACAD 139
House
Bill Five has made ethnic study classes possible in Texas high schools for the
2014-2015 school year. Mission High School was successful in implementing one
of the first Mexican-American Studies Dual class in Texas. The purpose of this
workshop is to offer the framework for teachers, administrators, or students
who want to include a Mexican-American Studies course (dual or regular) at
their high school.
This workshop will include three components that were necessary for success at Mission High School: the argument for an ethnic studies course, curriculum, and bureaucratic steps for creating a course.
I am currently teaching the high school portion for the Mexican-American Studies Dual course at Mission High School and had to navigate the system with no experience. Although procedures for school districts may vary slightly, I’m offering adjustable materials and resources to advocates who want to build a MAS program at their schools. Each participant will leave with the knowledge, resources, and support they need to have Mexican-American Studies included on their district’s course catalogue.
Victoria Rojas, Social Studies Teacher, Mission High School
Stefanie Florez, a Mission High School student, explained in an essay why this is important to her:
“In order to have a functioning society, citizens should be familiar with other cultures. We need to embrace and celebrate different cultures in the U.S. because America is a melting pot. Therefore, I believe that having cultural studies, like Mexican-Studies, can not only improve our society, but also the relationships between different cultures, and preserve cultural heritage like my own.”
Here is a shortened link to this post for your texting and social media convenience: http://bit.ly/StepsforMAS
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Preview of the 2015 NACCS Tejas Foco
by Tony Diaz on 01/16/15
This is Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante. I'm proud to be the Chair of the 2015 NACCS Tejas Foco. Registration is open, and I wanted to give you a preview of what is to come. ( You may register now and reserve your seat at the Awards Luncheon. Monday, January 26, you will be able to reserve your seat at individual panels.)
Registration powered by RegOnline |
This year we will be taking this powerful Texas Regional conference to the next
level.
This year's theme is "Putting More Community in Community College and
Beyond: Scholars, Professors, Writers, Teachers, Students and Families Unite to
Open Higher Education to Our Youth. It will take place at Lone Star
College-North Harris Houston, Texas February 26-28, 2015.
You can expect the great academic and scholarly panels that folks are
accustomed to, but we are including more students, more community members, and
more policy makers.
This year's line up features different tracks to make it easy to decide which
panels you want to attend. And we will be using a new software that will
let you register for specific panels, too.
These tracks include:
Track 1: How to Teach Mexican American Studies in the classroom.
Track 2: Student track.
Track 3: The Environmental Justice Track.
Track 4: Librotraficante Studies
Our Librotraficante Studies track will include an update on the recent court
case where17 year old Chicana, Maya Arce, challenged Arizona's discriminatory
HB2281 which was used to ban Mexican American Studies. Several of the
Librotraficantes were present, and we are scheduling Skype appearances by Maya
Arce, the plaintiff, and some of the original MAS teachers from Tucson Unified
School District.
A decision is not due for 30-180 days, but we are the first conference to begin
to digest this moment in history.
We are also increasing our community out reach with several different
initiatives including our "100 Banned Books for Under Ground
Libraries" to "Mission, Mission, Texas."
With "100 Banned Books for Under Ground Libraries," registrants will
be asked to purchase copies of "Chicano! The History of the Mexican
American Civil Rights Movement." We hope to get enough for 4 classroom
sets for Librotraficante Under Ground Libraries throughout Texas in Houston,
Baytown, Dallas, and San Antonio.
With "Mission, Mission, Texas" we want conference registrants to
pitch in to help pay for the travel and lodging of students from Mission,
Texas who are enrolled in one of the the first Mexican American Studies courses taken as dual
credit in the state.
A high school in San Antonio began their MAS dual credit program at the same time, and we are in talks to bring them and their teachers to the Tejas Foco as well. Donors, please stand by.
Of course, there are many other ways to implement Mexican American Studies at the high school level, and we'll share that participants as well.
The final plenary of the conference will feature important education policy makers for a talk
titled "How to Spread MAS to 100 Texas School Districts." Confirmed
guests include Texas State Board of Education member Ruben Cortez, Juliet
Stipeche, Chair of the Houston Independent School District, and Art Murillo,
the first Mexican American to hold the first single member district for a
Latino District for Lone Star College Board of Trustees.
We are very excited to welcome internally renowned author Dagoberto Gilb, who is banned in Arizona, as our keynote speaker for our Literary Awards Luncheon.
Also, we are getting ready for the future and increased growth.
At this year's business meeting, we will name the next sites for the 2016
Conference-Lone Star College-King Wood, Houston, Texas. And the 2017 conference
will be named to Texas A & M University in College Station. We would also
like to name the 2018 site as well, so that we can keep planning ahead and
growing. Stay tuned.
I hope you take advantage of this chance to join me and 500 of your literary,
activist, and academic familia.
Thank you, Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante
www.TejasFoco2015.org
www.Librotraficante.com
www.nuestrapalabra.org
Click here to register.
Here is a map to the college: http://www.lonestar.edu/northharris.htm
Here is a link to the website: www.TejasFoco2015.org
Mexican American Studies Grade Sheet Chart
by Tony Diaz on 12/04/14
Mexican American Studies Grade Sheet Chart
4 steps:
Read Mexican American Literature.
Write about the literary techniques of the work we read.
Get a better understanding of the purpose of the literature and where the writers were/are coming from.
Write about what you read and discuss how it is linked to the work you have done for LASO.
Name:
Journal (20 pages) 200 pts
How many pages: x 5 = _________
Lead a community project: 200 pts _________
List the project: Ex: Lead Coordinator for the LASO Immigratin Panel.
Date: September 22.
What I learned:
Assist with a community project: 100 ________
List the project: Ex: Dia de La Familia. Who lead the project:
How did you assist: Spoke during panel on student persepectie.
Date: October 21\]
What I learned:
Analysis of leadership (nonfiction 2 pages): 100 pts. _________
Title:
Personal Narrative “Where I’m From” 100 pts. _________
Title:
Open Genre: Choose one of the following: 100 pts. _________
Write one of the following:
Poem, short story, Letter to the Editor, Twitter-essay, or research paper. Link one of the written works from the course to the nonfiction components.
Final Examination (In-class) 200 pts. :
Choose one: List which you pic:
Write a formal research paper; make a formal presentation of your findings in class, create a “book” of your life story and share an excerpt in class.
2015 NACCS Tejas Poetry Prize
by Tony Diaz on 11/28/14
2015 NACCS Tejas Poetry Prize
Sponsored by The National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) Tejas Foco
v
We invite nominations for the 2015 National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) Tejas Poetry Prize. The committee is seeking to recognize poetry that celebrates the Chicano and/or Chicana experience in Texas.
Eligibility: Any book of poetry published in 2014 by a Tejana or a Tejano poet, that is, any poet who was born or lives in Texas. Chapbooks of at least 40 pages long are eligible. Self-published works will NOT be considered. A copy of the publication must be sent to each of the committee members (Melinda Zepeda, Hector Treviño, and June Pedraza).
Submissions must be postmarked no later than Dec. 20, 2014. The award will be announced in late January 2015.
Direct inquiries to June Pedraza at junepedraza@yahoo.com? Mail copies (postmarked no later than December 20, 2014) to the three committee members:
Melinda Zepeda
Department of English
Northwest Vista College
Juniper Hall JH III N
3535 N. Ellison Drive
San Antonio, Texas 78251
Hector Treviño
Department of Math
Northwest Vista College
Juniper Hall JH 213 D
3535 N. Ellison Drive
San Antonio, Texas 78251
V. June Pedraza
Department of English
Northwest Vista College
Juniper Hall JH III F
3535 N. Ellison Drive
San Antonio, Texas 78251
The award will be presented to the winning poet at the 2015 NACCS Tejas Foco Conference, “Putting More Community in Community College and Beyond: Scholars, Professors, Writers, Teachers, Students and Families Unite to Open Higher Education to Our Youth,” which will take place at the Lone Star College – North Harris, Houston, Texas, February 26-February 28, 2015.
Here is a shortened link for your social media and texting convenience:
Tejas Foco Tweet Sheet
by Tony Diaz on 11/24/14
Tejas Foco Tweet Sheet
NACCS2015 TejasFoco CallForPapers-Putting More Community in
Community College & Beyond @LSCNorthHarris Houston
Feb26 http://www.naccs.org/naccs/Tejas.asp
2015 NACCS TEJAS #Awards for #Fiction &
Young Adult Fiction Deadline Dec. 8 http://bit.ly/TejasFictionAward #Chicana #Chicano #Literature #LatinoLit
2015 NACCS TEJAS #Awards for Nonfiction Book Deadline Dec. 8 http://bit.ly/TejasNonFictionAward #Chicana #Chicano #Literature #LatinoLit
2015 NACCS #TEJAS #Awards for Best Dissertation Deadline Dec. 8 http://bit.ly/TejasDissertationAward #Chicana #Chicano #Literature #LatinoLit #Phd #edu
2015 NACCS Premio Estrella de Aztlan Lifetime Achievement Dec. 15 http://bit.ly/PremioDeAztlan #Chicana #Chicano #Literature #LatinoLit #raza #edu
@HighTechAztec is
spearheading submission for proposals on Environmental Justice. NACCSTejas Foco
http://www.naccs.org/naccs/Tejas.asp Nov
30 deadline.
@thepoetmendez spearheading
proposals on Huelga Schools during the Chicano Walk Outs. NACCSTejas Foco http://www.naccs.org/naccs/Tejas.asp due
Nov 30.
Houston is home of the #LibrotraficanteNation.
Submit proposals on #LibrotraficanteStudies NACCS
Tejas Foco http://www.naccs.org/naccs/Tejas.asp due
Nov30
NACCS2015 TejasFoco CallForPapers @LSCNorthHarris Houston
Feb26 http://www.naccs.org/naccs/Tejas.asp Scholars,
Writers, Teachers,
& Familias Unite.
NACCS 2015 Tejas Foco Call For Papers:
Putting More Community in
Community College and Beyond: Scholars, Professors, Writers, Teachers,
Students and Families Unite to Open Higher Education to Our Youth
@LSCNorthHarris
Houston
February 26-28
http://www.naccs.org/naccs/Tejas.asp
Facebook Post:
Houston, Texas? is the base of the #LibrotraficanteNation. Submit your proposals for panels on #LibrotraficanteStudies NACCS Tejas Foco? http://www.naccs.org/naccs/Tejas.asp due Nov 30.
NACCS 2015 Tejas Foco Call For Papers: Putting
More Community in
Community College and Beyond: Scholars, Professors, Writers, Teachers,
Students and Families Unite to Open Higher Education to Our Youth
Lone Star College-North Harris
Houston, Texas
February 26-28, 2015
http://www.naccs.org/naccs/Tejas.asp
